Concerns about furnace fuel Indiana blast probe

Citizens Energy workers continue their investigation Monday, Nov. 12, 2012, at the site of an explosion at a house in Indianapolis. The search for what caused a massive, deadly explosion that rocked an Indianapolis neighborhood turned to natural gas Monday, with officials checking gas lines and a homeowner saying a problem furnace could be to blame. (AP Photo/WTHR Chopper 13/The Indianapolis Star, Matt Kryger)
— AP

Citizens Energy workers continue their investigation Monday, Nov. 12, 2012, at the site of an explosion at a house in Indianapolis. The search for what caused a massive, deadly explosion that rocked an Indianapolis neighborhood turned to natural gas Monday, with officials checking gas lines and a homeowner saying a problem furnace could be to blame. (AP Photo/WTHR Chopper 13/The Indianapolis Star, Matt Kryger)
/ AP

The blast Saturday sparked a massive fire, blew out windows, collapsed ceilings and shook homes up to three miles away, forcing about 200 people out of their homes. The bodies of Jennifer Longworth, a popular second-grade teacher in the nearby suburb of Greenwood, and her husband John, a product developer for a consumer electronics company, were found in the basement of their home, which was destroyed.

Some residents who survived have been allowed to reoccupy their homes, and others will be escorted in to spend an hour to retrieve belongings in the coming days. Adam Collins, the city's deputy code enforcement director, said 29 houses remained uninhabitable Monday.

Barry Chipman, whose house was damaged but is still habitable, hopes those who've lost their homes will rebuild. But he acknowledged Monday that the fabric of the close-knit neighborhood has been altered permanently.

"It's never going to be the same when you've had people lost their lives," he said.

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Associated Press researchers Lynn Dombek and Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.